Summit!
Mt. Rainier received some new snow over the last week filling in the route but today's climb was able to persevere and make tracks to the top. We have had some teams as well as route workers chip away at it when weather and conditions warranted, which helped tremendously. Thank you to all of them and congratulations to today's summit climbers!
RMI Guides Brent Okita & Josh McDowell
May 27, 2014 - 10:34 pm PT
Greetings!
The team awoke this morning at Denali's 14K camp to a brisk dose of winter. A few inches of snow fell overnight and winds were blustery and it was apparent another weather / rest day was in order. The team enjoyed a casual breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and our go-to guilty pleasure, bacon. Regretfully, we said goodbye this morning to our friends Mike Walter and team as they began the journey home after spending the last few days enjoying their company here at 14K camp. We are in great position for a bid for the summit as soon as the weather allows, and we are anxiously awaiting our opportunity. Until then, hope all is well and thanks for following!
RMI Guides Robby, Pete, Josh and Team
Hello,
This is the Dhaulagiri Climbing Team and once again we wanted to apologize for the lack for the lack of communication, but as we said before we have been having a few problems with the satellite “sat” phone. But, right now we can send a dispatch.
We have been discovering the worst weather that we have ever witnessed. This Himalayan peak is pretty much keeping us working really, really hard. We are getting snow storms every day. The only time we have not had afternoon storms have been when we have all day storms! But, that hasn’t kept us from climbing. The last two days we have been working very hard being the only team on the mountain breaking trail to establish Camp 2. In the next few days we are going to be looking at the route between Camp 2 and Camp 3 which is one of the hardest parts of the climb. If that is a go we’ll have a summit bid.
Like I said, we have been receiving anywhere from a foot to two feet of snow every other afternoon and it has made our job hard. A couple of other teams have arrived, but they are not as ambitious to work up high yet. We are not going to quit until our plane leaves. We have a little bit less than 10 days here to make it happen. We have a really good weather forecast and will keep our fingers crossed that we are going to have a shot at it.
So if the sat phone keeps working for us we will keep you posted as much as we can. So please keep your fingers crossed for us. This is Dhaulagiri and we hope you all take care. We hope to communicate good news soon!
RMI Guide Elias deAndres Martos
Today was a big day for our climbing team... everyone was keyed up for an early-morning start and nervous about just what surprises the Khumbu Ice fall might hold for us. I'm sure I was responsible for a good deal of the nervousness, having tried mightily in this last week of training to pass on my own respect, fear and awe for the great tumbling and turbulent glacier we needed to sneak through. I'd portrayed this morning's mission as something of a final exam and a dress rehearsal, all rolled into one. Get up at the normal obscene hour we choose for taking on the Ice fall (we like the thing to be cold and frozen solid underfoot... Less chance for breaking crevasse bridges) then stick to a business-like schedule and pace in climbing safely up to the midpoint of the Ice fall... then come back down, just as safely, just as business-like.
Simple... But not really so simple. Necessary though, in my book, to see that we are strong enough, skilled enough, and acclimated enough to responsibly make the move to Camp One before we actually make the move to Camp One. Even experienced mountain climbers have very little in the way of similar passages in the course of their previous climbs. The track up through the Khumbu Ice fall is unique (thank God). We can't afford to have an exhausted climber in the upper reaches of the Ice fall, teetering and tottering across ladders and ice fins... and we absolutely don't want a climber to pull into the extreme height of Camp One at nearly 20,000 ft without adequate strength reserves, inviting possibly fatal altitude illness. So we needed a test... halfway up and down in good time and in good style.
Bill and Sara, Linden and myself certainly didn't catch any slack from Mother Nature in our attempts to relax during the night before our test. To begin with, there was a spectacular full moon rise over Everest's West Shoulder... The kind of thing that required a bunch of trips out into the night to observe so that one could be sure one wasn't missing anything. Once we'd given up on the moon, there were a series of thunderous ice avalanches off Pumori that required an occasional head stuck out the tent zipper in order to see the immense powder clouds billowing in the aforementioned moonlight. Around one or two AM there came a bizarre and violent lightning storm with endless peels of real thunder (as opposed to the avalanche facsimile) and this was followed by a concentrated downpour of snowflakes pelting the tents. I, for one, was thankful when my alarm finally rang at 4 AM, allowing me to give up on the sleep concept.
After such an eventful night, it was stunning to emerge from the tent to find a peaceful, clear and brilliantly lit up pre-dawn sky. We could already count a number of headlight beams swinging back and forth in the Ice fall. Our climbing team convened in the dining tent for a hurried attempt at jamming down calories and coffee (don't worry, 16 year-old Sara hasn't taken up the coffee habit... yet) and then we pulled on climbing harnesses and helmets. Mark Tucker got up to see us off and to follow our progress on his radio...At 5 o'clock we shouldered packs and shook Tuck's hand as we circled the Puja alter, breathing in a little juniper smoke -an offering to the Gods- on the way. Then we were clomping out of camp in our big expedition boots. A few minutes later we were at the base of the first Ice hummock and it was time for crampons. Then came the hard work, an hour or more of careful trudging toward the first ladders... nobody was "warmed up" and nobody was feeling spry, nobody was able to envision feeling better with the passage of a few hours filled with strenuous and dangerous uphill labor. But we smiled at each other and patted each other on the shoulders and we concentrated on good foot placements and steady breathing. When the angle steepened and the fixed rope began, we put the last week's practice and training to good use. A quick break at the first ladders gave a chance for a few more calories and a couple of minutes off our feet. By now we were mingling with a number of Sherpa teams as well as Westerners out doing variations on our own training program (Lam Babu and our own Sherpa team were taking a well-deserved rest today after having carried round-trip to ABC (at 21,300 ft) yesterday) After the rest we got into more challenging terrain in the "momo" section of the glacier... where the ice towers and jumbles strongly resemble a giant tilted plate of steamed momos... naturally. Safely through that and it was into the "popcorn" section with some steep and breathtaking climbing over glacial rubble that resembles... well, you know. Then came a section I dubbed the "football field" not because you could play a ball game there but because every ten yards brought a new crevasse line to be hopped. Some of the crevasses required a few careful steps on ladder rungs with fists full of fixed rope to get steady and balanced in the process. But then... after about 2.5 hours we were reaching our goal for the day... "The Dum", which I am told was the name that early climbing Sherpas applied to the gear dump they made in the area back when it was too complicated to get through the entire Icefall in a day... "dump" being far too long a word to utter in such an oxygen-starved place and "dum" being preferable. Whatever... the Dum is a safe place to sit and it is the halfway point of the Ice fall. Mission half-accomplished, we were happy and relieved... all were feeling good and strong having worked through the nerves, the jitters, and the plain old inevitable discomfort of getting to 18,900 ft. Another quick break in the cool morning breeze and then all we had to do was get back down safe. The test continued... no room for tired steps or fumbled carabiners jumping down through the footballs, the ladders, the popcorn and the momos. And we did it, marching back into camp by 10 AM in strong sunshine (a few hours ahead of the daily snowstorm) and with new found confidence in our ability to get through the rest of the Khumbu Icefall and up into the Western Cwm. A day of rest seems sensible first though.
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Ok my heart sinks as I read these dispatches, only to recover when I get to the end and here all is well.we love and miss you’ll and can’t wait to talk to you when we return to the states next week. Xxxooo
Posted by: Lisa on 4/19/2011 at 4:33 am
Great piece, Dave. You may have a literary future. Stay strong, stay safe.
We reached Mweka Camp at 2:50 PM to finish our 16-hour climbing day.
The “day” began last night at 11 PM when we woke for our summit bid. After a little breakfast, at 12:05 AM we hit the trail behind Naiman - our lead guide.
Our team made rapid progress, passing several other teams on the dirt and rock switchbacks. It was a fairly cold night, and that was before the winds started up. By our second rest break, a few hours into the climb we were adding clothing layers and putting on bigger gloves. By our fourth break, most of the team had all available clothing on. We hit the crater rim at Stella Point by 5:40 AM and took just a brief pause there for food and water before pushing on toward Uhuru - Kilimanjaro’s summit. The light of day came slowly and beautifully on as we walked on the rim at 19,000 ft. Sunrise was most welcome at 6:30 but by then our attention was on the phenomenal shadow cast by Kilimanjaro in the skies to the west… exactly over the summit of 15,000 ft Mt Meru.
We hit Uhuru at 6:40 AM and shed a few tears, shook hands, hugged, and snapped photos. It was an amazingly beautiful time of day. But it was also bitterly cold and windy, so we got out of there at 6:55 and headed back to Stella without delay. Winds were really picking up at Stella then and putting a lot of dirt and dust in the air, so we cruised right on over the edge and started dropping altitude. The descent was a combination of careful steps and full-on boot skiing through steep gravel and pumice.
We were back to camp at a respectable hour 9:40 AM, rubbing our eyes and wiping dirt and dust off our faces. Our fabulous staff treated the team to a full brunch/lunch of 15,000 ft pizza and coffee, after which we left camp bound for Mweka - 5000 ft lower. The trail down is direct and rough, we certainly were cautious and ready to be done for much of it.
Now it is a relief to be camped in the forest for one more night. The air has moisture again… and oxygen in abundance.
Thank you for your calls, inquires and support regarding the tragedy on Mt. Everest last week.
If you would like to make a donation to be used to help the families who lost loved ones in the avalanche and those who were injured, you can do so through the American Alpine Club - Sherpa Support Fund.
Thank you,
The RMI Expeditions Team
Nicole Lobiondo: Hope your trip is a once in a life-time event. The Kenny’s wish you a safe trip home and are praying for your safe return. I am sure you are taking lots of photo’s.Love Terry Kenny, Adriana and Gabby
Posted by: Terry Kenny on 4/23/2014 at 8:55 am
Nicole Lobiondo: Thinking of you all during this time. Stay safe and positive. Love, Nicole
Hello Everyone and welcome to RMI's Ecuador Expedition 2011.
The entire team safely arrived last night and headed straight to our nice hotel, Hotel Mercure Alameda, to get a little rest after the long flights. We started today with a huge Ecuadorian buffet breakfast full of delicious breads, pastries, fruit, juices and washed it all down with plenty of coffee. After filling our stomachs we sat down for a round of meet and greet that included an orientation and overview of the program ahead.
Just after 10 a.m. we headed out the door on our city tour of Quito, starting off with a visit to the colonial old town. We were lead by our local guide Jorge though the narrow roads with stops at the Basilica, church of La Campania (built in 1605), the monastery of San Francisco (built in 1535) and a visit to Independence Square to see the President's Place. Next up was a quick stop atop the Panacilla which is a small hill overlooking Quito with a 200' statue of the Virgin of Quito. The views where wonderful of this 2 million-plus city. We finished the tour by heading a little to the north to stop and visit both hemispheres at the Equator from where Ecuador gets its name. It was fascinating to see the Coriolis effect in both hemispheres with different results in just a few feet. It made believers out of most, but I hear there are still a few skeptics among us.
We headed back to our hotel for a quick gear review and a little shopping before dinner and have now returned to catch a little shut eye before tomorrow's adventure.
All is well and everyone is excited to be here.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Alex Halliday and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons August 6 - 11 team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Alex reported light to moderate winds and sunny skies from the summit at 10:30 am. The route on the Emmons was good up high but challenging at the lower elevations due to bare glacial ice. Today the team will descend to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. Their program will conclude tomorrow with a descent to the trailhead near White River Camp Ground and a return to Rainier BaseCamp.
The fog and low cloud came and went periodically at Vinson basecamp today. Most of the afternoon was sunny and pleasant and flyable... if one had an airplane. Ours have gone South. ALE has both Twin Otter ski planes down at the South Pole for the big celebration. Today -Dec. 14, 2011 (it is after midnight) marks one hundred years since Amundson reached the South Pole. A noble accomplishment, by any standard -and worth commemorating, but if given the choice I'd wager that Amundson would have tried to climb Vinson instead. Much more fun to be had out here in the big hills.
My team didn't fret a bit over the lack of aircraft. We were quite happy to sleep in and then sit for a two hour breakfast -bacon and eggs with lots of coffee and cocoa. Then there was time for siestas and snow-carving before a sumptuous dinner (same as last night -we liked it so much we did it again).
We'll likely be here a couple more days, which isn't a bad thing.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Today was our first real rest day. The task was to do nothing, and we excelled at it.
After sleeping for about 12 hours, we got our aching bodies into the breakfast tent and were served several delicious courses to replenish as many calories as possible: bagels with bacon and salmon, cereals and breakfast burritos.
Happy and with full bellies, we dug comfortable resting places into the snow and spent most of the day out in the sun, listening to music, eating some more, chatting and just enjoying the amazing view over glaciers and clouds below us.
The day finishes with shredded beef burritos and the feeling that we are ready for another big day tomorrow, moving our camp to 14,000’ feet.
If you would like to make a donation to be used to help the families who lost loved ones in the avalanche and those who were injured, you can do so through the American Alpine Club - Sherpa Support Fund.
Thank you,
The RMI Expeditions Team
Thankful to have been a part of this Team and can’t thank the amazing RMI guides like Brent and Josh enough!! The entire RMI Team is top notch!!
Posted by: Brian Hodges on 9/22/2019 at 9:18 pm
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